The shattered arrow fragnts fell quietly onto the forest floor. Lin Yi stood still, the Abyssfang Blade resting calmly in his hand, its dark surface etched with thin golden runes that caught faint light through the dense canopy above. The forest had gone completely silent. Even the wind seed to pause.
His gaze shifted toward the direction the arrow had co from.
"Co out," he said calmly.
A mont later, leaves rustled and a figure moved between the trees with light, effortless steps, crossing dozens of ters in the blink of an eye before stopping several ters away. A tall, slender girl with a confident posture, her long hair swaying slightly in the residual breeze, a beautifully crafted bow held loosely in one hand.
Lin Yi recognized her imdiately.
Tang Yue.
The Radiant Spirit Archer.
The heiress of the Tang Clan.
She looked at the shattered arrow pieces on the ground, then at the blade in his hand. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"So you blocked it."
Lin Yi sheathed the Abyssfang Blade slowly. "You weren’t exactly subtle."
"Most students in Jianghe Academy wouldn’t even see that arrow coming."
Lin Yi then turned his gaze towards the deeper clearing of the forest.
Tang Yue laughed softly, the sound carrying lightly through the quiet trees. "You really are interesting, Lin Yi." She stepped forward, her eyes moving over him with careful attention. "When I heard about you killing that Stoneback Bear, I thought it was just another exaggerated rumor." Her gaze flicked briefly toward the dead Ironfang Boar nearby, then returned. "But now..." Her lips curved slightly. "It seems the rumors were not entirely false."
Lin Yi crossed his arms. "So?"
Tang Yue lifted her bow. "Fight ."
The words were direct.
No hesitation.
No disguise.
Lin Yi blinked once. "You’re serious?"
"We’re both participants in the elimination round." Her eyes glead with competitive intent. "Why not see who’s stronger?"
Lin Yi sighed, then shook his head. "No."
Tang Yue frowned slightly. "No?"
"You should know the rules. The academy announced it yesterday." He gestured toward the distant direction of Jianghe City. "Participants in the elimination round are not allowed to fight each other outside official tournant matches. If we fight now and soone reports it, both of us get disqualified."
"Scared?"
Lin Yi smiled faintly. "No. I simply want to rank first in the tournant."
Tang Yue stared at him for a mont, then laughed, and this ti it carried no mockery in it, only genuine amusent. "You?" She shook her head lightly. "You want first place?"
"Why not?"
She rested her bow across her shoulder, her expression settling into sothing more serious. "Because soone else will take that position."
Lin Yi already knew the na.
"Chen Feng?"
Tang Yue nodded.
"Chen Feng."
Her expression beca more serious.
"He’s an S-Rank Stormblade Swordsman."
Her voice carried absolute certainty.
"Among all the students in Jianghe Hunter Academy..."
"He’s the strongest."
Lin Yi didn’t respond, but Tang Yue studied his face nonetheless.
"You still think you can beat him?"
Lin Yi answered simply,
"We’ll see."
She held his gaze for several seconds, then smiled again, a quieter expression than the ones she had worn before. "Interesting." She turned and walked back into the trees. After a few steps she stopped, and without turning around, spoke one final ti.
"Lin Yi. If you manage to survive the elimination round..." Her voice carried a faint edge of challenge. "I’ll be waiting."
Then she was gone, swallowed by the trees and the silence.
Lin Yi stood still for a mont, then shook his head slightly.
"...Troubleso girl."
He turned back toward the dead Ironfang Boar, then let his gaze drift past it toward the deeper wilderness stretching beyond the tree line. The tournant was still four days away, which ant four full days of hunting, grinding, and getting stronger. Lin Yi gripped the Abyssfang Blade. The weapon felt perfectly balanced in his hand, as though it had been waiting for exactly this. A faint smile crossed his face.
"Let’s see how far this blade can go."
....
SLASH!
The corpse of the second Ironfang Boar lay motionless on the ground, its massive body slowly dissolving into particles of dim light.
Lin Yi stood quietly among the trees.
Then—
A surge of power flooded through his body.
Warmth spread through his limbs, muscles tightening, senses sharpening.
His breathing slowed.
His heartbeat beca calm and steady.
Then,
[Ironfang Boar defeated]
[EXP gained: 180]
[Amplification triggered]
[Multiplication X1000]
[New Exp Gained: 180,000 EXP]
[Level Up!]
[Level 12]
[Level Up!]
[Level 13]
[Level Up!]
[Level 14]
[Level Up!]
[Level 15]
[Level Up!]
[Level 16]
[Level Up!]
[Level 17]
Finally, the system stabilized.
Level: 17
EXP: 8,000 / 50,000
Lin Yi slowly exhaled.
"...Five levels."
He lowered his gaze toward his hands.
The strength flowing through his body felt noticeably different now.
When he first arrived in this world, killing even a basic wilderness monster was said to require careful preparation.
But now...
A Level 8 wilderness predator had died in seconds.
And the most terrifying part wasn’t the monster.
It was the system.
Lin Yi looked at the fallen drops on the ground that had already evolved into higher-tier items through 1000× amplification.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"One thousand tis..."
The number sounded absurd.
Even Lin Yi, who had already witnessed the system’s miracles, still felt it was unbelievable.
Originally, the system amplified rewards one hundred tis.
But after breaking past Level 10, the amplification had evolved.
1000×.
That ant even the smallest drop could turn into sothing extraordinary.
A common monster.
A common blade.
And yet—
It had beco a legendary weapon.
Lin Yi bent down and picked up the Abyssfang Blade again.
The dark tal felt cold and smooth in his hand.
Faint golden runes shimred along the blade’s surface like sleeping lightning.
A weapon like this would cause chaos if revealed in the academy.
Even senior hunters might fight over it.
Yet for Lin Yi...
It had co from killing a wilderness boar.
He couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
"So this is what they an when they say..."
Lin Yi looked toward the endless wilderness stretching ahead.
"One drop of effort..."
He tightened his grip on the blade.
"...can lead to thunderous rewards."
His eyes sharpened.
But the next mont, his expression grew more thoughtful.
"Still..."
He glanced at his system panel again.
Level 17.
Strong.
But not strong enough.
In the academy tournant, there were still monsters walking in human skin.
Tang Yue.
And most importantly—
Chen Feng.
An S-Rank class user.
Those kinds of talents were the true rulers of this era.
Lin Yi closed his system panel, as the forest wind rustled through the trees.
He then looked deeper into the wilderness, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Four days."
"That should be enough."
User Comments
0 comments from readers